A Rare Alignment
by flowerchild33
Summary: Set during HBP. A rare astronomical occurrence causes havoc at Hogwarts. Rated M for smut in later chapters.
1. A Prediction

**Rewrite of an old story. More details on my Face Book page, flowerchild33fanfic.**

Chapter 1 – A Prediction

Aurora Sinistra rolled over in bed to look at her lover. He was a bit odd and they were definitely an odd couple, but she realized she was falling in love. His unusual appearance was a front for a wickedly sharp mind and a dry sense of humor. He was also deeply compassionate and she marveled at his ability to deal with the most troublesome students. 'Plus he is ferocious in bed' she thought to herself as she remembered their most recent night of passion and began to heat up again. Yes, Filius had slowly stolen her heart.

They had known each other for several years, as professors at Hogwarts, but only a few months ago had the relationship changed. They were very careful to hide it from others, especially the headmaster. She suspected Minerva may be catching on, but she trusted Minerva to remain quiet, especially since Minerva had her own secrets. The main problem that Aurora had was that the relationship had become particularly distracting. A month ago she had been called away to attend to her sister, who had contracted a particularly nasty strain of dragon pox. Aurora had gone to France to stay with her and thankfully her sister was almost fully healed. Aurora had returned to Hogwarts two days ago and restarted her classes that night, but found it hard to focus as she longed to be with him again. She and Filius had both been busy, but now had finally managed to steal a couple of hours for themselves.

As she pondered, Filius began to awaken from his doze and his mustache twitched with a smile. She leaned over and began kissing him, but had to pull herself back before she got too heated up.

"Filius baby I need to go. The castle will start waking up soon."

Filius sighed and nodded, understanding that she needed to head down the back corridor from his apartment and return to her own apartment at the base of the astronomy tower before anyone was awake to notice. Aurora reluctantly pulled herself out of his bed and began dressing. Filius watched her and was beginning to be aroused again when she finished and gave him one last kiss before slipping quietly out of his apartment.

Later that day Aurora woke and headed down to lunch. She kept unusual hours since her classes were all at night, which meant she slept through most of the morning. Her schedule did make it difficult to find time to be with Filius, but at least it was only three nights a week. After lunch, Aurora returned to her office and began working on lesson plans. There was an unusual sequence of astronomical events that were about to occur and she was working on a special lesson for her fifth year students. As she worked through the lesson, Aurora refined her calculations from two days previous. She had seen this event coming months before, but her sister's illness had delayed her calculations. As she ran her numbers she realized something wasn't quite right. Her calculations were off and she had to find the error.

Almost three hours later, Aurora dropped her quill as she fixed the calculations. What she saw was shocking. Something on this magnitude hadn't occurred in over six hundred years if her calculations were finally correct. It was a hideously complicated alignment, which was why she had had such a difficult time with it. If it was true, then the potential ramifications were staggering. To reassure herself, she did a few backward calculation steps at key intervals to ensure that she really was seeing what she thought. She completely lost track of time and missed dinner, but she was finally sure. 'Merlin! This is going to wreak havoc.' she thought. Aurora knew that she needed to report her findings, but it would have to wait. Her 9 pm class with first years was almost ready to begin. It was her earliest class and at that hour they mainly studied lunar cycles and behavior, but it was good practice for future work. Shaking her head, she organized her papers and proceeded up the astronomy tower.

Later that evening, after her first and third year classes, Aurora decided to report her findings first to the headmaster. Then she would ask his opinion on going to the Ministry. She couldn't believe the Ministry hadn't already found what she had, but it was a difficult alignment and in the last few years the Ministry cut backs had dropped their astronomy 'department' to just three people. Cornelius Fudge held little regard for the complicated science that was astronomy and his lack of imagination disregarded the effects that the heavens could have on any individual person.

Aurora reached Dumbledore's gargoyle and said the current password, 'fudge flies'. She waited, but there was no response and the door to his office didn't open. With nothing else to do, she made her way back to the staff room where she had last seen Minerva. In the staff room, she was pleased to see that Minerva was still there despite the late hour, and went over to talk to her.

"Minerva, I need to talk to Albus, but I received no response from his gargoyle."

Minerva smiled as she responded. "Albus has been called away for a couple of days. Another one of his 'errands'. He actually left just a couple of hours ago. I had planned on telling everyone in the morning at our staff meeting. I'm his deputy while he's gone, so maybe I can help?"

Aurora chewed her lip and thought for a moment before replying. "Hmm, ok Minerva, but can we talk in your office? I know it's late, but this is important."

Minerva smiled, drank the last sip of her tea, and then escorted Aurora down the hall to her office. When the two women entered, Minerva sat in her favorite armchair and offered another to the astronomy professor. Aurora sat quickly and then began to explain.

"Minerva, I've spent a good portion of my day working out some very difficult computations on an unusual astronomical alignment. It's something I saw a hint of a couple of months ago, but with my family emergency, I neglected to look closer until I returned. Now the alignment is almost upon us and I fear it may be too late."

Minerva raised an eyebrow and looked concerned as she replied. "Aurora I respect your abilities tremendously and if this alignment took you hours of work, then I know it must be complex. Can you please explain more, and remember that astronomy is one of my few weak areas."

Taking a deep breath, Aurora continued. "Let me start with a bit of background reminder for you Minerva. You know that there are two major areas of celestial events, an occultation and a conjunction? Well, when I first saw a glimpse of this months ago I thought it was a potential conjunction, which would have some impact, but not severe. My most recent calculations indicate that we will actually be experiencing an occultation on Thursday evening. That means, that rather than just being close, the bodies in question will actually be in alignment, a RARE alignment. This greatly increases the impact. The bodies in question specifically are Venus, Earth and Mars. Venus will be in the dominant position and will hold the most sway. In addition, there is a lunar eclipse happening the same evening that adds to the complexity and will increase the impact. An alignment of this magnitude hasn't happened in over six hundred years."

Minerva regarded her colleague and then spoke. "This is all very interesting Aurora, but can you explain what this means on an individual level?"

The astronomy professor drew a breath before continuing. "First, Venus has occulted with Earth before. There were effects, but nothing too severe. Where I am concerned is the fact that this occultation is actually happening when Venus is at its closest position to our planet. Also, the involvement of Mars is a real issue. Venus, as you know, is the planet whose movements mostly impact the desire and procreation drives of an individual. As some would say, it's the love planet. Mars on the other hand is the opposite. It impacts the carnal fires that effect the mood and temper of each individual. Mars is thus called the war planet. Having love and war vying for position with Earth in the mix is where the problem arises. Venus is in the dominant though and much more closely positioned, so love will dominate. Then there is the added influence of the eclipse. The moon of course effects the tidal patterns on earth and also the moods of many individuals. Some are especially sensitive and of course there is the known effect of more births occurring during full moons than at any other time of the month. My calculations indicate that the lunar eclipse will basically amplify the effect of the other alignment."

Again, Aurora stopped and waited for Minerva to absorb what she had said.

"So basically we will have an amplified period of love on the night after next? What does that mean? Should we reschedule Valentine's Day? Does that mean that we will have some peace between Slytherin and Gryffindor? I really don't think that would be all bad, but do you think something needs to be done to prepare?"

Aurora sighed. She knew Minerva was trying to understand, but hadn't really grasped the implications of what she had been presented. Aurora decided to be more straightforward.

"Minerva, what this means is that the libido of everyone in the magical world will be at a heightened point. Desires will be even more difficult to control. This includes of course, every student at Hogwarts. My recommendation would be to restrict all inter-house fraternizing, as well as placing monitors in all student dorms."

Minerva pondered for almost five minutes while Aurora sat in silence, then she spoke. "Aurora, I appreciate you coming to me with this. Tonight is Tuesday and this alignment is due for Thursday night. Friday is a test day for most classes and I expect every student will be cramming. We also have the Hufflepuff-Ravenclaw Quidditch match this weekend and I know practices have increased in preparation. With everything else going on, I think everyone will be more than busy and I don't think this alignment is going to sway them enough to cause much of an issue."

Aurora spoke up to object. "Minerva, I don't think you are fully appreciating this and I respectfully have to disagree. Also, I feel that I should inform the Ministry of what I've found. This alignment will impact the entire magical community. Thankfully, muggles feel very little effect from such astronomical events."

"I understand and you may present your findings to the Ministry. They can decide how they wish to act on it. As for this school, I cannot allow it to be disturbed by a slight probability of astronomical mischief."

With that, Aurora could tell that the deputy headmistress had made up her mind. She sighed and got up to leave.

"Thank you for listening to me Minerva. I truly hope I am wrong. I will send an owl to the Ministry immediately." With that said, she left the office.

The next day was Wednesday and Aurora was just waking up mid-morning when an owl tapped on her window. She opened the window to allow it to enter and untied the letter it carried. As the owl flew off, she began reading the note from the Ministry. The note was quite brief and basically said that the Ministry's Astronomical Research Department had looked at her calculations, thanked her for the information, and came to the conclusion that they were not concerned about any possible minimal impact. Aurora threw the parchment into her fire and felt like screaming. Eight years at Hogwarts, five years additional study, nine years working in various consulting positions and four years as a professor had apparently amounted to nothing as far as credibility with the Ministry. She had done all she could, now she would just have to wait and see what the consequences were. She had no classes Thursday night and had decided that she would make sure to be with Filius for evening. Others may not believe, but Aurora was ready to take advantage of her predictions.

That evening Professor Aurora Sinistra had a class of fifth years on the astronomy tower and the focus of the lesson was on the unique alignment that was due the following day. Although the calculations she had done were complex, she did have the students map the individual paths of each of the involved heavenly bodies. She made no mention of her prediction on the meaning of the alignment. Truthfully, her area of expertise was normally focused on the scientific aspects of astronomy. Delving into the magical workings and effects of astronomy was more Professor Trelawney's area, but it was also an area of special study that Aurora had personally pursued. She didn't dare make mention of it to Sybil, who would have probably taken the information and divined that half the school would die in a massive orgy due to the alignment. Aurora had little regard for Sybil and her supposed abilities and often wondered why she had stayed on at Hogwarts for so long. It was one of the few areas where Aurora disagreed with the headmaster.


	2. The Alignment

**Note: This is where the M rating is needed. Heavy smut. M/F, F/F, M/M, multiples. You've been warned.**

Chapter 2 – The Alignment

Thursday dawned to a beautiful and somewhat crisp day. Aurora woke around ten as usual after a long night on the tower. She brewed tea and sat down to grade papers. Later in the afternoon she began to make herself ready for her evening with Filius. She would be meeting him after dinner and the thought of what was to come made her flush.

Later that day in the Ravenclaw tower, a number of students had finished classes for the day and were studying before dinner. Luna Lovegood was trying to study, but was seriously beginning to think that the nargles had gotten in her brain. Every time she tried to refocus her thoughts the only thing she could think about was the person sitting across the table from her, Roger Davies. 'His hair has gotten shaggy, I kind of like of it…LUNA FOCUS...wow, I never noticed before how long Roger's eyelashes are…LUNA NO' she thought to herself. What was her problem? Then she looked over and saw Belby and Fawcett at the side table. They were both apparently studying, but Marcus had his hand under the table, massaging Sarah's leg. Finally unable to focus, Luna decided to go for a walk.

In the castle dungeon, in the Slytherin common room, others were having an equally hard time focusing. Draco Malfoy and Blaise Zabini were playing Exploding Snap and Blaise was losing quite badly. Mainly it was due to the fact that Draco was looking especially dashing on this day. Blaise had secretly harbored forbidden feelings for several years and wondered if tonight he would finally be brave enough to admit them. He and Draco had done a threesome several times, but Blaise really wanted to get Draco alone. As each of them reached forward to slap a card on the table, their hands briefly touched and it felt like an electric shock. Blaise shifted in his chair to disguise his arousal and wondered what the hell was coming over him.

Upstairs, Minerva McGonagall was busy with some school paperwork that Albus had left behind for her. It was dull work and she was feeling unsettled. Unable to pinpoint the issue, Minerva wondered if she was getting ill. Gritting her teeth, she refocused and continued the paperwork.

At 6 pm everyone went to the Great Hall for dinner and the place was unusually raucous. Two Hufflepuffs almost came to blows before their friends pulled them apart. Professor McGonagall sat at the head table and thought that the weekend's Quidditch match couldn't come soon enough. The match and the parties following always allowed the students to scream, yell and let off steam. With the tension in the hall, the weekend's match was going to be brutal.

Down the table, Aurora Sinistra also felt the tension and had an idea what the cause was, but she had done all she could. She ate quickly and excused herself early. Rather than go back to her apartment, she used the still empty halls to duck into Filius' apartment and arrange herself for his arrival.

After dinner wrapped, everyone dismissed with most students going to their house common rooms. A few headed to the library and a couple had detention.

Later that evening, in the Gryffindor common room, Fred and George Weasley were attempting to conduct business selling goods to fellow students. Despite their departure from an Umbridge controlled Hogwarts the previous year, the twins had been coerced into returning by their mother. Molly Weasley had agreed to allow them to pursue their joke shop with no objection if they at least finished school. Reluctantly they agreed, but spent most of their time at school working on their product lines and testing. They were also earning a fair bit of money on their early products via sales to their fellow students.

Unfortunately, on Thursday night, they were both very distracted and the clientele wasn't near as interested as usual. Fred finally gave up and began to pack their goods away as he spoke to his twin.

"George, I don't know what is wrong with me, I'm horny as a herd of old goats."

George looked at Fred and replied. "Me too Fred, and it makes no sense, Angelina and I shagged three times last night. She would have gone again, but I was completely drained. That woman does me in."

Fred grinned at his brother. "Well, I haven't been as lucky as you brother. I haven't shagged anyone since last weekend. Little thing named Leanne, Hufflepuff. Just a quickie, but she knows her stuff. Right now I feel like I've been deprived a year."

As Fred and George talked, Angelina Johnson and Katie Bell came over. They both looked troubled. Angelina spoke first as she pushed up against her boyfriend George.

"Hi Georgie. Do you feel weird? Katie and I were just talking and something is strange."

George suppressed a groan as Angelina's closeness aroused him. Taking a breath, he replied. "I know Angie baby, Fred and I were just talking about that. Some seriously weird vibes going on."

Then he reached out and wrapped an arm around Angelina and began to snog her. Angelina joined wholeheartedly and pulled George closer as she took hold of his butt. Seeing them set Fred and Katie on fire. Fred looked at Katie and waggled an eyebrow and Katie grinned as Fred plunged his mouth into hers.

Across the common room Ginny had finally given up studying. She was horny and she had to finally admit it. She and Harry had become an item only a couple of weeks before and she was suddenly ready to advance the relationship. She closed her book and went over to sit in Harry's lap. Harry was surprised, but gave up the pretense of studying and began snogging the pretty redhead that had just placed herself on top of his growing erection. Looking over at them, Ron grimaced, slammed his book closed and left to go to his dormitory.

When Ron reached the dormitory, he noticed that Seamus' bed had all the hangings closed and a shimmer around it indicated that spells and wards were in place to ensure privacy. Ron wondered who was with Seamus and groaned. The thought of what Seamus was doing caused Ron's cock to harden. He tried his usual methods to calm himself, but nothing was working. Ron finally gave up and lowered his trousers to reach for his cock and take care of the problem. Right as he was getting going, footsteps on the stairs announced another arrival and Ron hadn't cast privacy spells. Before he could do anything, Hermione appeared. She stopped in her tracks when she saw Ron. Ron was trying to find his tongue when Hermione began to speak rapid-fire.

"Well you obviously are feeling it as well. I don't know what's going on. The common room is full of couples snogging and I've seen a few leave the tower. I was trying to distract myself and went to my dorm, but Lavender and Alicia are quite involved. I told them to try locking the door and then I left. Well now it seems that you need some help and honestly Ron I'm so horny that I'm done trying to be coy."

With that, Hermione stepped forward and began kissing him. Ron's erection was pressed painfully between them and Hermione seemed to enjoy it as she started to rub against him moaning. Ron exercised the last bit of willpower he had and broke the kiss to talk to Hermione.

"Hermione I love you, but we've only recently acknowledged our feelings for each other. I love kissing you, but we haven't gone much past that. Are you really ready for this, because right now I'm about to lose control. I don't want to ruin what we've finally started."

Hermione looked at him for a minute before replying. "I love you Ron, but right now is not the time to be an honorable prat. I need you and you need me. Let's just go with it."

Then Hermione began pulling Ron's shirt off before shucking her own clothes. As she reached to finish pulling his pants off, Ron pulled them onto his bed, pulled the curtain, and cast privacy spells. As he finished the second spell, Hermione began kissing her way down his chest and reached to grab hold of his cock. Ron hissed at the feeling and Hermione grinned. Then she ducked her head down and began to lick his shaft. Ron's eyes shut and he threw his head back. The feeling was amazing. Lavender had given him one blow job, but she had gotten out of hand and left teeth marks so the experience hadn't been completely pleasant. Now Hermione was working her way up to lick his head and Ron reveled in how good she was. Hermione kept working her way from the head down the shaft for several minutes. As Ron came close, he began to quiver and she took him deep in her mouth. That finally pushed Ron over the edge and he delivered a huge load into her waiting throat. She kept sucking and licking up his cum until she'd gotten it all.

As Hermione finished her most successful blow job, she pulled herself up and began kissing Ron. Ron tasted his own cum and decided that, mixed with Hermione, it wasn't bad at all. Hermione was groaning loudly and Ron reached down and began running his fingers through her folds. He found her clit and she let out a small yelp. Smiling, Ron picked up speed, wanting to pleasure her as well. He hadn't gone long before Hermione pulled her mouth off his.

"Ron, I need to feel your mouth on me, pleeeease."

Happy to oblige, Ron went down on her and Hermione was so close that within a minute she came. Ron licked her fluids up and couldn't believe this night. They'd just put their relationship in overdrive and he was hard and aching again. He began sucking on Hermione's nipples as her orgasm finished and she was hot and ready to go again. Ron looked in her deep eyes.

"Mione love, I need you, are you ready to take me all the way in?"

Hermione took a moment, grabbed her wand and cast the contraception charm. Then she reached down to grab his erection as she replied.

"Please Ron, make love to me."

Ron quickly positioned himself over Hermione and slowly sunk into her. The feeling was exquisite for him, but Hermione was hurting. She was dripping wet, but Ron was large and she had to adjust. Ron reached her barrier and was a bit surprised and thrilled.

"Mione, you're a virgin! Are you sure you want me to be the one to do this?"

She looked up into his beautiful eyes and replied. "Of course, who else?"

With that, she thrust her hips upward and he broke through. Ron bit his lip to keep from coming and waited for Hermione's breathing to level off.

"Mione, are you ok? I hate hurting you."

She smiled at him. "It only hurt for a minute, I'm fine. Now, fuck me!"

Ron needed no more invitation and began thrusting into her. Hermione responded by meeting his thrusts and they soon had a rhythm. Eventually Ron was almost ready and he needed Hermione to cum first. Reaching forward, he ran his finger over her clit a couple of times and then Hermione screamed and bucked under him. Feeling her climax, Ron let go and joined her, spraying the inside of his love with his load.

Meanwhile, in the Ravenclaw tower, Luna had challenged Roger to a game of Gobstones. Roger was a Gobstones champion and could never refuse a chance to display his prowess. Luna though had other plans. She had been horny all afternoon and it was only getting worse. As Roger sat across the table from her, Luna began to run her bare foot along his leg, gradually working upward. She was barely able to play the game as she drooled over Roger and tried to ignore Marcus and Sarah who were across the common room and half undressed. Roger tried to ignore Luna's foot and acted like he wasn't aware until his ninth turn, when he pushed his chair back, stood up, grabbed Luna and drove his mouth into hers. Luna melted into him as Roger grabbed her butt and pulled her tight. Feeling his erection, Luna smiled and took his hand. "Come Roger" was all she said.

Roger followed dutifully, slapping her pert bum along the way. They left the Ravenclaw tower and found an empty classroom. As soon as they entered, both started tearing off clothing. As Luna stood nude and beautiful, Roger was amazed. He had never imagined Luna like this. Her quirkiness made her seem almost asexual. He had never really even noticed her before. Now he realized how wrong he was and he longed to possess her. Luna was the first to step forward as she began snogging him again. Then she reached down and grabbed Roger's cock. Unable to take it anymore, Roger picked Luna up and set her on a table. The height was perfect and Luna was spread and ready as he thrust into her. Luna screamed so loud that the whole castle probably heard, but neither of them cared as they began frantically fucking, each desperate for release. Luna came first with another scream. Roger couldn't stop and kept slamming into her as her scream continued. Just as Luna was coming down from her orgasm, Roger erupted in her and she shuddered to another climax. As Roger softened and slipped out of her, they both paused to catch their breath and Luna noticed that the table they were using had moved halfway across the classroom. She had little time to ponder this as Roger began nibbling on her neck and was soon erect again.

Meanwhile, in his third floor office, Defense Against the Dark Arts professor Severus Snape was completely distracted. He had a raging hard on that was as bad as anything he had had as a teenager. He kept reaching for it and desperately wanted to release himself, but he had other plans. Soon, Blaise arrived for a scheduled detention and the professor used every ounce of willpower to focus.

"Nice of you to finally show up Zabini. Now we need to figure out what punishment is suitable for your little stunt. What was it you did again? Ah, yes, the ever inventive use of a permanent sticking charm on a toilet seat. It took Madam Pomfrey four hours to remove it from a first year's butt."

Blaise smirked and waited for the professor's verdict. Snape walked around his desk and went to stand with his face a mere inch from Blaise's cheek. In a low whisper he continued.

"So, what kind of punishment do you like? Maybe I should spank you?"

Snape placed a hand on Blaise's bum and Blaise felt like he was dying as he replied. "Please professor, please spank me."

Snape sneered and slapped Blaise hard on the bottom, causing him to double over. Blaise groaned and Snape slapped the other cheek. The force of the slap propelled Blaise forward more and he was leaning against a desk. Snape came up behind him and pressed his body against his student. Blaise could feel the professor's erection and he wanted it desperately.

Unable to control himself, he turned around and grabbed hold of Professor Snape's cock through his robes. Surprisingly, Snape didn't resist and let Blaise play with him for a minute before speaking.

"Mr. Zabini I think I have decided on your punishment. Remove your robes."

Blaise was quivering as he quickly stripped and stood in front of the professor in nothing but his trunks. Snape eyed his bulge and then cast a quick spell to banish the trunks. Then Snape pulled his own robe up and Blaise saw he had nothing underneath but a massive cock that looked delicious. Blaise didn't have much time to admire as Snape had taken a liking to his own manhood and was on his knees licking it.

"Mmmm Mr. Zabini I've never had a black cock before." Snape said as he began to swallow it completely.

Blaise began thrusting into the professor's mouth and soon shot his load into Snape's mouth. Snape took it all and then stood up and kissed his student, driving his cum coated tongue into Blaise's mouth. Snape desisted after a couple of minutes and was catching his breath when he gave his next order.

"Oky, my turn Mr. Zabini. Hands on the table and bend over."

Blaise did as ordered while Snape summoned something from a nearby cabinet. As he caught the summoned potion in mid-air, Snape decided to explain.

"This little potion is something special I created. I should market it, but the fool Ministry would probably ban it. This potion has a viscosity that provides ideal lubrication while also having several ingredients that provide a second purpose of localized, heightened stimulation."

As Snape talked, he opened the bottle and began coating his cock with the substance. Then he provided a rim of it along Blaise's asshole. Blaise felt like he might come again as the professor prepared him. Then, without warning, Snape finished and pushed his massive cock into Blaise's backside. Blaise groaned. It hurt a bit, but he had had worse and the pain was quickly turning to pleasure. Once Snape had buried himself completely, he waited for a minute before pulling back and then beginning to ram his student repeatedly as Blaise screamed. Blaise was beyond reason as he grabbed hold of his cock and pumped himself in rhythm to Snape's thrusts. Whatever was in the potion Snape used was amazing. He felt like he could feel every nerve twitching with electricity. Within minutes Snape let out a loud groan followed by a single statement of "FUCK!" before he filled his student's ass with his seed. As Snape slipped out, Zabini finished his own work and came in his hand and on the underside of the table he was leaning on.

Across the castle, in another area of the dungeon, the Hufflepuff common room was also feeling the impact of the rare alignment, although nobody knew what was causing the strange feelings that soon resolved into a state of horniness for everyone. Several couples had shuffled off to the dormitories, but the common room still had a lot of students. Four couples were deep into snogging sessions. In one corner, a trio involving two boys and a fifth year girl were almost completely undressed and were so involved that they didn't seem to care who else was around. Ernie MacMillan was watching them from the table where he had tried to study, but now he was engrossed in the show and was jerking himself off under the table. Several seats away, Susan Bones saw him and finally felt bold enough to take action on her feelings. She had been drooling over Ernie for at least a year, but was too shy to admit it to him. Tonight she was feeling the same strange vibes and needed to have him. She got up from the table, went to Ernie and turned his chair around. She pulled him up, interrupting his jerking and letting his robe fall down again. She began to kiss him and Ernie responded enthusiastically. Susan broke the kiss briefly, looked around the room and muttered "too crowded". Ernie nodded his head, took her hand and led her out of the common room.

As they exited, they began kissing again and trying to walk sideways while not separating from each other. Ernie had an idea and made his way to a small door down the hall from their common room. Opening it, Susan saw an assortment of old desks, chalkboards and other discarded school supplies. Ernie quickly lit his wand and stuck it on the corner of an old chalkboard where it provided enough light for them to see as they began stripping. As Susan pulled off her bra, Ernie was disrobed and ready as he began snogging her in earnest. He took a minute to pull back and look at her, wondering why he had never noticed how beautiful she was before. As he admired, Susan was aching and had driven two fingers into her thatch to try to give herself release. Ernie pulled her hand back and went down on her. He was a popular, handsome sixth year and had had many opportunities to practice his skills. He had a reputation for pleasing his girlfriends and had Susan screaming his name within minutes as he sucked her clit and drove his fingers into her. Once Susan settled, he licked up her juices and stood back up.

"Susan, I don't know what is going on tonight, but I'm hurting badly and I need to be in you now."

Susan grinned and reached for him as she leaned against a wall and pulled one leg up. Needing no further invitation, Ernie plunged into her. As he thrust repeatedly into Susan, Ernie was at a loss. He had plenty of experience, but something about this night was different. He came in Susan once, but amazingly his cock refused to deflate.

Kissing him, Susan said "let's try something else".

Then she bent herself over an old chair and begged "Ernie, fuck me like a dog, take me like this."

Ernie groaned and once again entered her. Susan was on fire. The new position made every thrust hit her most sensitive spot and she screamed repeatedly. Finally Ernie released with a small scream of his own. Susan turned around and he took her in his arms as they tried to absorb what was happening.

Back in Gryffindor tower, Harry and Ginny were leaning across the common room table, kissing and feeling up each other's robes. Harry didn't know what was happening, but he wanted to ravish Ginny all night long. The only problem was that a short distance away, Fred, George, Angelina, and Katie were lying in a naked pile making a lot of noise. Harry broke off from Ginny and looked over at them. What he saw only made his cock throb more. Angelina was riding George and Katie was riding Fred. The two couples were side by side and the girls were turned slightly and snogging each other while they played with each other's boobs.

Harry groaned. "Gin, we need somewhere private and I need it now!"

Ginny contemplated. "I wish we could go to my dorm Harry, but you know the stupid stairs won't let you up there."

Harry grimaced, then a thought hit him. His broom was lying under the table. He hadn't gone upstairs to stow it since Quidditch practice and now it gave him an idea. Harry pulled out the broom, grinned at Ginny, climbed on and then pulled her on with him. Ginny laughed as they began to zip up the stairs. The spiral was tight, but Harry used his Seeker skills and maneuvered them easily. They reached Ginny's dorm and the only person who was in the room appeared to be Romilda, but she had her bed drapes drawn and Harry suspected was quite involved with someone or something behind them. He dropped his broom, grabbed Ginny and began snogging her again. Ginny ripped his robes off and he did the same as they fell into her bed. Pulling the drapes and casting privacy spells, they fell into each other. Harry was rock hard, but had enough of his mind left to want to pleasure Ginny first. He was working her clit with his dexterous fingers when Ginny squealed.

"Enough Harry. Just get in me. Shag my fucking brains out."

The dirty words only made Harry hurt worse as he positioned over her and slowly entered. As careful and considerate as he was trying to be, Ginny was frustrated and grabbed Harry's bum to pull him all the way in. Then she began to alternate between grinding and thrusting against him and Harry gave in to the inevitable. As she encouraged him, Harry began to pound into Ginny unmercifully. She came quickly, but he couldn't stop and each new thrust caused a new yelp as Ginny never fully came down from her first orgasm. Finally Harry screamed her name and released his load. The feeling of his cum inside her gave Ginny another full orgasm as she collapsed on the bed.

Across the castle, Minerva McGonagall had left dinner and gone to her office to grade papers. She was still feeling strange and had trouble focusing. Eventually she gave up and decided to return to her apartment. She had some sherry stashed and thought it may help her settle. When Minerva reached her apartment, she proceeded to the bedroom first to change into something more comfortable. The sight that greeted her was a surprise, but not unwelcome. Septima, her lover of almost two years and the school's arithmancy professor, was lying in Minerva's bed and she was stark naked. The sight of her made Minerva wet and all the tension of the evening seemed to set her on fire. Minerva smiled as Septima whispered seductively.

"Minnie darling, you've finally arrived. I've been waiting too long and I need you tonight."

Then she climbed out of the bed and crossed to her lover. She began kissing Minerva, sucking on her lower lip, which she knew drove Minerva crazy. Both women then began to hurriedly undress Minerva as their kiss deepened. Once she was undressed, Minerva took Septima's hand and led her back to bed. She was on fire and the only thing she could think of was the release that Septima could give her. As they lowered themselves onto the bed, not breaking their grip on each other's mouths, Septima finally pulled back and gasped.

"Minnie I think we both need this right now, let's go together."

Minerva smiled at the thought. She and Tima hadn't done 69 in too long. They quickly arranged themselves and began working their tongues across their lover's folds. Minerva was soon bucking against Septima's face and her lover wasn't long behind her. They came almost simultaneously and each began cleaning the other up. Minerva was still hot as she decided to delve her fingers into Tima's pussy, causing her lover to spurt again and scream Minnie's name. Soon they caught their breath and Septima turned around to lay in her lover's arms. Minerva was finally feeling her tension unwind and contemplated the evening while she lay quietly with Septima in her arms.

Septima was dozing off when Minerva sat up suddenly and exclaimed "Bloody hell, Aurora!"

Startled, Septima looked up and responded. "Aurora? Do you want her to join us? I thought she was with Filius?"

Minerva groaned. "No, Tima dear, I don't think Aurora would appreciate this. But I do think I know what is happening around here. No time to explain. Do you trust me? I'll need help to get this under control."

Septima sat up and replied "Of course Minnie, what do you need me to do?"

Minerva outlined her plan quickly and then they both got out of bed, cleaned up and quickly left to attend to their tasks.


	3. The Alignment Wanes

Chapter 3 – The Alignment Wanes

Minerva's first stop was close by. She knocked on Filius' door and waited a full two minutes before it opened. Filius was wearing a dressing robe and barely opened the door a crack. Minerva looked down at her tiny colleague as she spoke.

"Filius, please let me in. If I'm not mistaken, Aurora is here? I need to see her and you. I think I need to apologize to her while we figure out how to get out of this mess."

Filius looked indecisive when Aurora's voice came from behind him.

"Filius baby let Minerva in. She figured us out months ago."

Sighing, Filius opened the door and Minerva entered his apartment. Aurora was sitting on the sofa draped in a sheet and smiling. Minerva was taken aback for a minute. Aurora had beautiful skin and her shoulders were delightful. 'Minerva get a hold of yourself and stop thinking about sex' she admonished herself quickly before beginning to speak.

"Aurora, I think I need to apologize for disregarding your astronomical prediction. Tonight I have been completely on edge and only just realized the problem. Have you felt it as well?"

Aurora smiled and spoke, "Oh yes, we definitely felt it and I'd wager Septima did as well?"

Minerva let out a small gasp. She had thought her relationship with Septima had been very discreet.

Aurora giggled. "Minerva don't worry. We are colleagues, but when it comes to your personal business that is not my concern, the same way you've stayed out of my personal business." With that she looked over at Filius, who walked over and climbed in his lover's lap.

Minerva sighed. "Thank you Aurora. I just don't need complications right now. Which brings me back to why I am here. I think we all need to check on our houses and I think each head of house needs an additional professor along to help. I have a suspicion that we'll be very busy. Have you told Filius about your calculations regarding tonight's alignment?"

Aurora sighed. "No, you are deputy headmistress and if you didn't feel there was an issue, then I am not going to spread the word elsewhere. I do know how to keep business and personal separate."

Minerva nodded her head, "Yes, you've been quite discreet, but it seems now that I was wrong. Now, how long can we expect these effects to last?"

Aurora took a second to think back on her calculations before replying. "Well, the time leading up and fading out of the occultation will have some effect, but the worse period should end shortly before two in the morning. By around five the last of the fading effect should be all but gone."

Minerva sighed. "Ok, so we have another hour of the worst effects. Now, I'm going to tell you both what we need to do, then please explain to Filius why this is happening. It'll save me a bit of time, as I will have others that I need to inform."

Then Minerva looked at Filius. "Filius I need you to go to the Ravenclaw tower and start rounding up everyone. Some may have left the tower, but hopefully won't have gone too far. Take Aurora with you and use whatever means you can to subdue any behavior - petrification, stasis, cold water, whatever you feel is necessary. Now, I have a lot more to do. I'll let Aurora fill you in on the rest."

With that, Minerva left the apartment. Her next stop was Professor Sprout's apartment on the ground floor where she could watch the greenhouses from her window. Minerva knocked repeatedly until, a full five minutes later, when the door opened. The professor was in a dressing robe and looked quite flush. She stood in the door and did not invite Minerva in. As Minerva opened her mouth to begin speaking, another voice spoke up first from inside the apartment.

"Pomooona, come back to bed. I'm ready to go again."

Minerva blanched as she thought she recognized the voice. She recovered quickly as she hissed.

"Pomona, that had better not be Mr. Longbottom I hear. You know the rules about fraternizing with students. Anyway, I don't have time to worry about your indiscretions at the moment. I need you to collect yourself and head down to the Hufflepuff common room. I am going to take an educated guess and assume you are aware of strange magic that has encompassed us all tonight. What we are all feeling is the effect of a rare astronomical alignment that has sent everyone's libidos into overdrive. We need to take control of the common rooms and keep students separated. The worst will be over in an hour, but we will need to keep a watch for another three hours after that. I am on my way to find Severus and I will stop at the hospital and send Poppy to meet you at Hufflepuff. Each of us will need backup when we subdue our houses."

Pomona Sprout absorbed everything Minerva had said, nodded and assured her that she would be on her way shortly. When Minerva turned to leave, Pomona closed the door and looked at the young man waiting in her bed. Her thoughts drifted..'I can't believe how he's grown. So strong and..' Pomona shook her head and stopped her thoughts. She never should have allowed this liaison, but at least she now knew why. She wondered though if she would be strong enough even after the stars changed to resist him. Exercising all her willpower, she turned to her bathroom to get cleaned up and dressed.

Minerva's next stop was Professor Snape's third floor office. He was head of Slytherin, but Slughorn had once been the head of his house and would be an obvious choice for backup. She knocked on the door and Severus opened it and gestured her in. He was trying to project his usual coolness, but was obviously disturbed and his hair looked like an electricity experiment. Minerva looked around and saw no one, but then she noticed a wardrobe with a door that wasn't quite closed. Deciding she really didn't want to know, Minerva plunged ahead with her explanation regarding the astronomical alignment, the effects on the school and the need for all heads of houses to proceed to the house dorms.

Severus said nothing until Minerva finished. "Fine, I'll go. I suppose you want me to wake the slug and bring him along?"

Minerva pinched her lips. Severus' attitude to the new Potions master was barely civil and it annoyed her.

"Yes, Severus, I wish you to find Professor Slughorn and enlist his assistance. He was the head of Slytherin before you." Snape scowled and nodded.

For her final destination, Minerva headed for the hospital. Madam Pomfrey would be able to backup Professor Sprout with the Hufflepuffs. As she entered the hospital wing, Minerva stopped. Directly ahead of her was a draped bed and from the sounds coming from behind the drape it was obvious who was there and what was happening. Just as she summoned her courage to speak, a scream issued from the bed.

"Merlin! Yes Horace! Oh my I would have never thought.."

As the screaming and subsequent groans ceased, Minerva found her voice.

"Hello Poppy. Hello Horace. Yes, I know you are startled and I am not here to chastise. I need both of you to collect yourselves and help me. There is a rare astronomical alignment tonight and I unwisely disregarded Aurora's warning. The main effect is heightened libido, which we have all felt. My concern is for the students, who we need to bring under control. Poppy, I need you to go to Hufflepuff and assist Pomona. Horace, you are needed to assist with Slytherin. We have about 45 minutes of the worst of the effects left. I am now on my way to Gryffindor."

As Minerva left, Madam Pomfrey and Professor Slughorn disentangled themselves. They separated immediately, using every ounce of control to dress and attend to the duties that Professor McGonagall had assigned.

Downstairs, McGonagall approached Gryffindor tower and saw Septima waiting in the hall. The sight of her set Minerva on fire. She stopped and took several deep breaths before she felt herself safe enough to move closer. As she approached, Minerva saw the bound forms of Jack Sloper, Demelza Robins, Cormac McLaggen, and Jimmy Peakes. It appeared that all were bound with the 'incarcerous' spell. As Minerva stood, looking at them, Septima spoke up.

"Hello Minerva. I arrived a few minutes ago and started clearing nearby rooms. I found Demelza and Jack first and then Cormac and Jimmy in a room across the hall. I haven't been in the tower yet, but the Fat Lady says that we should be prepared. She's been hearing a lot of 'rutting noises' as she put it."

Minerva took one more deep breath as she replied. "Well, we better get in there. Are you ready? This won't be easy with the effects still on us as well."

Septima stepped forward, embraced Minerva and kissed her deeply. Then she pulled away and responded. "Okay, I'm ready now."

Minerva looked over at the four students who were bound, but still awake. 'Oh well, I can always blame that kiss on the alignment' Minerva thought as she stepped toward the portrait hole. When the two professors entered the Gryffindor common room, the first sight that greeted them was the foursome of the Weasley twins, Angelina, and Katie. Katie was getting double penetration from the twins while Angelina sat on Fred's face and played with Katie's tits. McGonagall groaned at the sight of them, but then she gritted her teeth and started casting. She pulled all the participants apart and then bound each one with the 'incarcerous' spell. Once that was complete, she looked over at Septima, who was drooling. Minerva slapped her partner and Septima's eyes refocused.

Minerva looked at Septima and forced herself to focus. "Can you handle the boys' dormitories? I think that may be easier for you."

Septima nodded and proceeded up the boys' stairs, while Minerva headed up the girls' stairs. The first two floors were the easiest for each professor. Most of the first and second years didn't seem to be as involved as the older students. A few were snogging, but the majority were sitting a bit dazed and a few were crying. Professor McGonagall had limited time to analyze this, but was thankful for small favors. 'Must have something to do with puberty' she pondered as she moved upstairs. Reaching the fifth years' dorm, the professor continued to incant 'finite incantatem' to dissolve silence and privacy wards. She was immediately assaulted by Ginny's screams and proceeded to separate and bind her and Harry before moving to the next floor. In the sixth years' dorm, Lavender and Alicia were already falling out of Alicia's bed and the sight of them made Minerva ache. Steeling herself, she separated and bound them next. Then she turned to another bed in the room, dissolved the privacy wards and separated Parvati and Romilda. Then she continued on up to the last floor.

Meanwhile, in the dungeon, Professor Snape entered the Slytherin common room and immediately threw Draco off of Pansy none to gently. He then petrified them both before turning to separate Millicent from between Vincent and Gregory. As Snape was finishing in the common room, Professor Slughorn burst in.

Snape sneered. "Nice of you to show up Horace. Take the girls' wing, I'll take the boys' wing. Don't be too gentle with them." Horace nodded and the two professors split up to subdue the rest of Slytherin house.

Upstairs, Professors Flitwick and Sinistra were on their way into the Ravenclaw tower when a noise from a classroom across the hall drew their attention. Running in, Aurora found Luna being levitated and Roger using the strange position to his full advantage. She groaned as she watched them and was unable to move. Filius came in right after her and took control, breaking the couple apart and binding them. Then he took his lover's hand and dragged her back to the hallway. Aurora finally came out of her stupor and dropped to her knees to begin snogging her lover. Filius gave in and snogged her for a couple of minutes before exercising all his will and separating from Aurora. They made their way into the common room and split up as they began the task of subduing the tower.

As all the towers began to be brought under control, the clock in the Great Hall struck two and the effects gradually began to wane. By 2:30 all students had been located and were either bound, in stasis or petrified.


	4. The Morning After

Chapter 4 – The Morning After

In Gryffindor tower, Professor McGonagall was collapsed in an armchair formulating her next steps of action while Septima made regular patrols to ensure that all the Gryffindors were still sleeping or bound. At 5 am, Minerva felt that much of the magical tension caused by the alignment had passed and she prepared for the next step in bringing Hogwarts under control. Standing up, she pointed her wand at her throat, incanted 'sonorous majorous' and then began speaking as her voice magically spread throughout the whole castle.

"Good morning everyone. This is deputy headmistress McGonagall. As you are aware, we had some very strange magic affecting the castle last night. This was due to a rare astronomical occurrence that was predicted, but whose effect was not fully realized. That effect is now passed and I am authorizing all house heads and those assisting them to begin releasing their students. Students are to return immediately to their individual dorms, rest and clean up before breakfast at the usual time. Attendance will be mandatory. I will be providing more details then."

With that, McGonagall finished and waved her wand to cancel the amplification spell. Nodding at Septima, they turned to begin waking up and freeing the Gryffindors.

Two hours later, all students filed down to the Great Hall. Many seemed a bit dazed and a lot trudged forward with downcast eyes, unwilling to face what had happened the previous night. As everyone sat at their house tables, the room was unusually quiet and somber. Professor McGonagall stood at the head table and, when all were seated, she began speaking.

"Good day everyone. You all have had a couple of hours now to collect yourselves and begin to try understanding what occurred last night. First, to explain in simple terms what the actual cause was. Last night a rare alignment of Venus, Mars and Earth occurred at the same time as the lunar eclipse, which amplified the effect. If you want more details, Professor Sinistra can provide them. The effect we all experienced was severe tension combined with heightened libido. And, yes, I said all. The staff of the castle are just as human as the students, but we are a bit better equipped to fight the effect. Next, you need to know that this particular alignment will not occur for another six hundred plus years." That bit of news brought a collective sigh from most of the room.

Professor McGonagall continued. "Now, I need to address how we all move forward after this. First, I want to emphasize that I felt this as much as you and it was very powerful magic. Do not chastise yourselves or others over the actions of last night. I advise everyone to talk to anyone you were involved with and explain your feelings. I cannot emphasize enough that we need to move forward from this. We cannot allow friendships to be ruined or house fidelity damaged. I know it will be difficult, but please know that your house heads will be available as needed for any assistance or counsel you need. Next, a subject which is difficult, but needs to be addressed. I realize that the nature of what happened last night means that precautions that would usually be taken might not have. Madam Pomfrey will have the hospital open immediately after breakfast and I would encourage anyone in need of emergency contraception measures to make their way to the hospital wing. The first twelve hours are critical and I urge you not to delay. In addition, Madam Pomfrey will be available for any other minor injuries incurred during last night's events. Finally, I am exhausted, as I know the rest of the staff is and I am sure you are as well. Classes today are cancelled, but the Quidditch match tomorrow is not. Since today is Friday that will give everyone a chance to recover. That is all I have. Please eat and get some rest."

As the professor's speech finished, the Hall began to rumble with the murmur of many conversations. A subdued air remained, but lessened as the food appeared and everyone began eating. After breakfast, everyone filed out to return to their houses. Minerva had moved to the main doors to watch as everyone exited. She was concerned, and watched for anyone who looked overtly distraught. Thankfully, she saw a lot of concern and worry, but nothing that would make her think that a student was upset enough to be a danger to themselves or someone else. She did notice quite a few couples pair off and leave talking.

The rest of the day passed quietly with most students sleeping through lunch and then spending the rest of the day catching up on homework. In the Gryffindor common room, Harry was trying to study and failing due to the fact that Ginny was several seats away and they hadn't talked since being released from McGonagall's incarcerous spell hours earlier. Harry had just listed a date for the 14th Goblin War as 2602 instead of 1602 and Hermione had had enough and decided to intervene.

"Harry, unless you are predicting a new goblin war in about six hundred years, I think you might want to correct that. And you really need to focus, but I don't think you will be able to until you talk to Ginny. Ron and I had a good long talk and it helped."

Harry looked over at Hermione, who was sitting quite close to Ron and holding his hand under the table. Ron looked up and smiled at Hermione and Harry rolled his eyes as he replied. "I don't know Hermione, how did you and Ron work it out?"

Hermione regarded Harry. "Ron and I aren't embarrassed about last night, but we're going to back our relationship up a bit and see what happens. Now. Go talk to Ginny!" Harry sighed, stood up and made his way to Ginny.

Harry tapped Ginny on the shoulder and she turned around with a smile as Harry began to speak. "Gin, can we go talk somewhere?"

Ginny nodded, stood up, and followed Harry out of the portrait hole. They made their way to a nearby classroom and Harry tried to untie his tongue and start the conversation when Ginny started instead.

"Look Harry, I know last night wouldn't have happened under normal circumstances, but I don't regret what happened either. I think we need to slow down our relationship a bit, but I don't want to lose you. Harry, I've loved you for years. Last night was amazing and after we've given ourselves some time, maybe I'd like to try a repeat performance, but can we please return to what we had? I don't want to lose you."

Harry let out a shuddering sigh. "Thank you Ginny. I love you and I've been scared all morning that you would hate me." Then he opened his arms and Ginny folded herself into him. They stood there for an unknown length of time when Professor Vector found them.

Professor Vector stepped into the room and smiled at the young couple. "Ah yes hello Potter, Weasley. I'm on patrol duty and have to ask that you return to your tower. Professor McGonagall doesn't want any pairings meeting by themselves for a while. Are you both okay?"

Harry regarded the professor before replying. "We are now professor, we just needed to talk. We'll go back now." The professor smiled and watched them as they exited and went back to the Gryffindor tower.

Meanwhile, in an alcove outside Ravenclaw tower, Roger Davies had pulled Luna aside to talk. Luna stared at Roger dreamily as he mustered the courage to speak.

"Um, Luna, I wanted to talk to you about last night. I want you to know that I'm not normally like that. I mean, we hardly know each other and I never would normally take advantage…"

Luna interrupted him. "No worries Roger. I've been watching you for a while. I'm glad that the moon fairies finally got us together."

Roger looked a bit confused. "Moon fairies?"

"Oh yes, they were obviously at work last night. A normal alignment wouldn't have done all that. Professor McGonagall doesn't believe. That's why she didn't mention them. But some of us know better. Now Roger, what do you want to do about us? I know you weren't your usual self last night but I quite enjoyed it and wouldn't mind continuing."

Roger looked at Luna and grinned. "Will you be my girlfriend Luna?" Luna said nothing in reply, but reached up and pulled Roger to her.

Ten minutes later, Professor Flitwick found them snogging and quickly broke them apart. "Now, now you two. We've had enough of that. Back to the common room." Roger smiled and took Luna's hand as they returned to the Ravenclaw tower.

The long Friday eventually came to an end with only one major incident. Vincent Crabbe and Gregory Goyle both appeared in the hospital wing for treatment of large, purple boils covering their faces. Professor Snape questioned them and found that a talk they had with Millicent hadn't gone well and she apparently was not interested in continuing their threesome. Crabbe and Goyle had tried to persuade her and had landed themselves in the hospital. Snape seemed to think they deserved what they got and did not pursue the issue further.


	5. Recovery

Chapter 5 - Recovery

Saturday dawned with brilliant blue skies. Combined with the upcoming Quidditch match, all spirits in the castle seemed to lift as everyone made their way to the Quidditch pitch. The teams were matched well and the game went long, with Hufflepuff taking a surprise victory of 420-310. Everyone in the stands had yelled themselves hoarse and the last of the tension from the previous two days seemed to have been shouted out. Professor Dumbledore had returned the night before and had been busy since. He enjoyed the match as much as the rest of the school and declared the day too good to waste. He conjured several large tables to the lawn by the lake, as well as a plethora of picnic blankets. Then he had the house elves serve an array of picnic foods outside. The rest of the afternoon was spent lazing in the sun with good food and friends.

Professor McGonagall and the rest of the staff were arrayed on blankets at the top of the hill overlooking the students. Professor Dumbledore sat next to her. Since she hadn't had a chance to talk to him since his return, she decided it was time.

"Albus, I know I sent you an owl with a brief summary of the events, but.."

Professor Dumbledore put up a hand to stop her. "Not today Minerva. We will have a staff meeting tomorrow, but right now we all need to relax, yourself especially." With that said, he laid back, pulled his hat over his eyes, and began to snore lightly.

The next morning brought all the staff together for their first meeting since Professor Dumbledore's return.

"Good morning everyone. Thank you for being here extra early. Given the events that occurred while I was called away, I felt we could use some additional time for discussions. First, I must thank each of you, especially Minerva for putting a difficult situation under control. I'm going to let her start. She sent me a few details by owl, but I need the unabridged version now."

As Dumbledore, finished, McGonagall spoke up and began a detailed review of the events. Beginning with Professor Sinistra's warning, then the first feelings when the alignment began waxing, onto her realization of what was occurring and then the actions of the staff to bring the school under control in the early hours of Friday morning. She was careful to not provide details on where or how she found many of her fellow professors.

As she finished, Albus nodded. "Thank you Minerva. I appreciate your candor regarding your initial assessment of Aurora's warning. I will say that if I had been here my actions would have been similar. The magnitude of impact that this alignment caused is something that I have never heard of in the past. Which means we are indebted to our astronomy professor for her foresight. Action may have been taken late, but we would have been left in a much greater state of confusion without her knowledge."

Professor Sinistra gave a small nod of thanks before Professor Dumbledore continued. "My next concern is the health and well-being of the students afterward. Madam Pomfrey, can you please provide details from the hospital wing? I know the last days have been quite busy for you."

Madam Pomfrey nodded and began. "Yes, Albus, I was quite busy on Friday, but thankfully yesterday the flood of patients dwindled. I handled a number of distraught students, but with the help of the house heads counsel, we were able to settle everyone. I administered a total of 42 emergency contraceptive potions and 30 calming draughts..." Madam Pomfrey was about to continue, but a low hiss began from the assembled staff at hearing the numbers.

McGonagall was the first to speak up. "42?"

"Yes Minerva, that is correct. I actually had to call St. Mungo's for an emergency shipment. We don't carry near that amount in the Hogwarts stores."

As everyone allowed that bit of information to settle, Dumbledore spoke again. "Thank you Poppy for your prompt response. I am glad St. Mungo's could assist. I think now I will update everyone on how this rare astronomical alignment affected the rest of the magical community. Late Thursday night, the Department of Magical Law Enforcement began to respond to calls for assistance at a number of locations, primarily pubs. Shortly after midnight, they put out an emergency order for all pubs, shops and restaurants that were still open to be closed immediately. They didn't know what was causing the issues, but they knew that something bad was brewing and that the best course was to prevent any further large gatherings. They continued to be busy throughout Friday, with most of the calls being domestic related arguments between spouses and partners. The Ministry finally caught up on Friday night and sent an emergency notice out via the Wireless Wizarding Network about what had caused the events of the previous evening. The notice was printed in the Daily Prophet Saturday morning and by Saturday evening the number of calls that the Department of Magical Law Enforcement was receiving had dropped back to normal levels. Meanwhile, St. Mungo's has been at a heightened state as well. I doubt if they have any more contraception potions left in stock now. They also had a rise in violent injuries and hex reversals. I spoke to a friend who is a senior Healer at the hospital and he advised that the hospital's maternity ward is planning for a busy season in about nine months." As Dumbledore finished his briefing, the last statement found several people trying not to smirk.

Dumbledore let the news settle and continued. "Now, I think we didn't let Poppy finish her report. Poppy, did you have anything additional?"

Madam Pomfrey nodded and began again. "The last information I wanted to let you know is that we had nine injuries come into the hospital on Friday morning. None are serious and most are due to certain individuals being a bit, um, rough during the events of Thursday evening. I repaired three broken bones that resulted from levitation failures, but both those students are completely well now."

Dumbledore nodded and looked around the room. "Does anyone else have any questions, concerns? I don't have any more information for you." Everyone looked around at each other, but no one else spoke up.

After a full minute had passed, Professor Dumbledore wrapped the meeting. "Thank you all for your hard work under extraordinary circumstances. Let's all keep our ears open for any new issues. I am available if you need me." With that, the staff dispersed and headed downstairs for breakfast.


End file.
